


hnnnng arms

by canismaj0ris



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 09:31:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19461193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canismaj0ris/pseuds/canismaj0ris
Summary: Just 900 words of Caleb crying about most of the M9's arms.[ No real ships, but does mention Caleb doesn't find Beau attractive at all, and Nott isn't included. ]





	hnnnng arms

**Author's Note:**

> This entire fic is a direct call out to a close friend, so hopefully they find it. Happy Birthday pal <3
> 
> It's also a call out to the number of Campaign 2 characters that just have one arm on show??? [touches ground] what happened here.......
> 
> Shipping notes:  
> No specific ships, most obvious is Caleb/Fjord if you squint, but really who doesn't think their friends are hot?  
> Does specifically say that Caleb doesn't find Beau attractive, and instead thinks of her in a sibling way.

It only took a few days for Caleb to realise his appreciation for arms would not end well with his new friends. A lack of complete sleeves seemed to be a trend in the Mighty Nein, and it was one that Caleb did not enjoy.

Yasha had been the first, with her obvious muscles and large stature. Watching her carry Beau through the carnival had been his first introduction to her complete strength. Once he’d seen the way her muscles moved, he couldn’t stop noticing them. He could barely watch her in a fight, muscles pulling as she swung her enormous sword at their enemies, eyes burning with rage. Her sleeveless tunic didn’t help his pain, accenting her upper arms and their natural strength in a way that made Caleb’s stomach twist uncomfortably.

Then there was the burning feeling of jealousy whenever she held Mollymauk close, the affection between them that had developed before they met the Nein. Caleb missed being able to touch his friends casually, but the irrational jealousy didn’t make sense. It made Caleb cringe, drawing away from the soft-spoken barbarian before he could get overwhelmed.

Molly as much easier to ignore, most of his body hidden in the layers of his tunic and the long swirling coat he’d always worn. Sure, he was lithe and his time in the circus required him to have some amount of strength, but for the longest time, Caleb just didn't consider it.

Then they finally bathed together in Zadash, and Molly’s self-confidence allowed Caleb the freedom to watch the tiefling. The sleeve of tattoos drew his eye first, a snake winding through flowers feeling like the perfect explanation of his ostentatious companion. It clearly hadn’t been made to complement the definition of his body, as much as to decorate it - perhaps that was just easier for hiding his other tattoos - but it still accented his deep skin tone. The curling tail feathers of the peacock highlighted his broad set shoulders, the sharpness of his collar bones. The whole sleeve made Caleb want to trace patterns across Molly’s arm, following the lines of the tattoo and seeing how it would feel under his fingers.

Fjord had a similar attraction to Caleb, although tattoos stayed hidden most of the time. Like Yasha, his piecemeal leathers left one arm uncovered, the edge of inked rope-work peeking from the edge. If it hadn’t been for that, he would have been able to pretend he didn’t find Fjord attractive. The natural gradient of his skin was more obvious than it would have been on a human, silhouetting muscles built for working on ships rather than for fighting. It showed in his calloused hands and easy ability to talk to sailors, but even more so in his solid, permanent definition across his whole body.

And if Caleb had borrowed Tusk Love from Jester’s pack, it would only be a coincidence. It definitely did not have anything to do with how often he zoned out staring at the half-orc, neither before he’d read the book, nor after.

Jester, Caleb had to admit, also had really excellent arms, although he wouldn’t have guessed it when they first met. She was one of the exceptions to the ‘bare arm’ rule, her flowing sleeves and cloak stopping Caleb from predicting her strength. He could never decide if they were outwardly muscular, even though she was easily stronger than most of their companions. Most of her seemed lithe, even slight, but behind the floral fabrics and soft freckles, she could tear a man apart. Every time she lifted- threw- destroyed something, his entire being screeched in a way he would never admit.

Beau also made his entire being screech, but in a much less pleasant way. She was much easier to analyse, even if her arms were perpetually on show. Her muscles probably should have made him feel something, but they didn’t. He could see why they would, with her years of training obvious across her body, but she was too annoying, too harsh, too sisterly for Caleb to feel anything more than mild disgust to think about.

The one person he’d expected to have amazing arms, but who turned out very quickly to be useless, was Caduceus. Again, he had that stupid ‘one-arm-free’ style of clothing that they were all so fond of, with his sheer sleeve showing the soft fuzz that covered his body in patches. The firbolg was huge, and Caleb had taken one look at him and assumed that he would be naturally strong, all rippling muscle and magic.

It did not take long to realise that Caduceus was definitely not strong, and the first time Caleb had seen him without his armour and shirt, it suddenly made sense. While his arms were covered in the same grey, downy fur as the rest of him, his arms were soft and toned only by the general work he had done in the Blooming Grove, rather than the heavy workloads and fighting that had given his friends their muscles. They were the kind of arms Caleb would happily have wrapped around him, but ones that didn’t make his mind spin like the others.

Okay, okay, so maybe he didn’t mind his friends’ love of sleeveless clothing. Maybe he liked it a little. Just maybe.


End file.
